Fontophilia

If there is such a thing as a ubiquitous font, it is Helvetica. The font, designed in 1957, is a staple for brands the world over. (For those who care, it’s also the font used in my logo — see top left of the page.) Economist Tim Harford describes this as evidence of ‘economies of scale’ in font usage. As he notes, “once designed, they can be used again and again at low cost”. Indeed, a font’s ‘marginal cost’ — the cost associated with an extra use of the product — is zero.

However, it should be noted that not all organisations want to use an existing font. Indeed, many commission bespoke designs that only they can use. Newspapers and magazines commonly use typefaces that are unique to their publications. Many companies also have custom designs — some just for their logos, others for wider use throughout promotional material and even general correspondence. In these cases, at least those who order such tailored designs see value in being unique — were others to also use their fonts, it would detract from their product and/or brand, making it harder to ‘stand out’. Then again, it can also be relatively easy to mimic such specific creations. In the world of typography, as with design in general, there is seldom anything new under the sun.

A font of knowledge

Like most people, I suspect you probably don’t care about fonts. I do. I love finding new fonts with unique and interesting designs. I find the selection of an appropriate font an integral part of any design process. As James Cameron, director of 3D blockbuster Avatar, discovered, choosing the wrong font can leave you open to scorn and ridicule. (The movie used ‘Papyrus’ for its promotional material and subtitles.) While I don’t consider myself a ‘font snob’, I do draw the line at Comic Sans. Unless you’re deliberately being ironic, it’s a font you should never, ever use.

The sans-serif Superman

I despise Comic Sans. I think it is a god-awful font that should be obliterated from computer systems the world over. Of course, I’m hardly alone in that view. But if you were a font that was so reviled, how would you take it? Apparently not well. So, for some light weekend reading, enjoy this ‘imagined monologue’ by the famous font. (Be advised, this link does contain some coarse language.)